Coronation Street has never been shy about tackling some of life’s more taboo subjects …but a storyline currently developing on the cobbles is one that is likely to shock more than most.

Two weeks ago, lovable mechanic ­Tyrone Dobbs was attacked in his home. Not by a thug – but his own girlfriend.

And in scenes set to be screened next week, Tyrone will be violently assaulted again at the hands of pregnant lover Kirsty.

To make the soap’s account of male ­domestic violence as true to life as ­possible, Street bosses meticulously ­researched the subject, speaking to ­charities – including ­Mankind – that ­support men who have been victims.

And Alan Halsall, who plays ­Tyrone, ­admits that he was shocked by the ­harrowing accounts he read as her prepared himself for the ­disturbing scenes.

“I read case studies and they were quite unbelievable,” he says.

“They were real-life accounts and it’s amazing the kind of people it can happen to. One man I read about was a nightclub doorman.

"You don’t imagine someone like him suffering domestic violence at home, so it just shows that it can happen to ­anyone. It’s really shocking.

“I think it’s a subject that ­happens more than people realise: men don’t want to talk about it – it’s kind of taboo. I hope I do this issue justice and raise awareness.”

But, while Tyrone finds himself on the ­receiving end of controlling girlfriend Kirsty Soames’ temper, Alan’s own home life, ­thankfully, could not be calmer.

Shocking: Kirsty attacks Tyrone in Corrie storyline (Photo: ITV)

Happily married to Wild at Heart actress Lucy-Jo Hudson for three years, Alan says the pair have only had one argument in their entire time together.

“We are not at all like ­Tyrone and Kirsty. We get on so well and our relationship is very calm – we’ve only had one argument and that wasn’t much of a fight,” he reveals.

“I’m pretty laid-back and I’m not somebody who rows – I’d ­rather sit and chat – and Lucy is very placid. We’re really in love.

“Anyway, God bless a woman trying to ­control me. I can’t even control myself!

“I would never want to be in the situation Tyrone is in. I don’t know how I would ­react if I was… it’s difficult to even comprehend.

“But I can still understand why men stay – if you are genuinely in love with someone you can forgive a lot more than if you’re not.”

The violence exploded on screen after Kirsty, played by Natalie Gumede, lost her job as a policewoman and blamed Tyrone, hitting him in the face with a ladle.

And Tyrone will be on the receiving end of her violence a second time ­next Thursday when he throws a ­surprise 30th birthday party for her… and invites her parents.

Kirsty is furious and, after the party, loses her temper. She twists Tyrone’s arm ­behind his back and ­slams his face into a door.

“Natalie got a bit nervous about filming it, but it’s only smashing my head into a door so it didn’t hurt too much – there’s nothing in there anyway,” Alan jokes. “I had a bit of a sore shoulder in the morning though – she’s really strong!”

Alan joined Coronation Street when he was a fresh-faced 16-year-old. He may now be 29, but facially he has changed very little and ­older women fans treat him as a ­youngster.

“I get my cheek pinched a lot,” he laughs. “If I got a pound for every time ­somebody pulled my cheek and said, ‘Aaaaaaah!’ I’d be a rich man.

“I think people still see me as a teenager and feel sorry for me. I get ladies who want to mother me like Vera Duckworth did and then I get young lads who like Tyrone because he’s never ­offensive to anyone.

“But I don’t really get chatted up. They save that for Ryan Thomas, who plays Jason ­Grimshaw.

"Even if a young girl does come over to talk to me it’s generally only to say that her mum loves me or I’m her grandma’s favourite.”

Alan anticipates that the shocking ­developments in his latest storyline will only have viewers feeling even more sorry for ­unlucky-in-love Tyrone.

Home truths: Tyrone tries to get to the bottom of things with Kirsty (Photo: ITV)

He says: “Lucy sent me a text today saying, ‘I’ve just been ­watching Corrie and you get away with ­murder with your puppy-dog eyes’. I think people just feel sorry for him.

“God bless him, he is a doormat – everyone walks over him and everyone probably will for the rest of his life. But he’ll still be that loving guy who’ll ­forgive and wear his heart on his sleeve and I think people like that about him.”

On screen, Tyrone is preparing for ­impending fatherhood, with Kirsty expecting a baby in the summer. And Alan says that he and Lucy would like children themselves one day, too.

The couple, who live in Manchester, met on the Coronation Street set in 2002 when Lucy, 28, played wild child Katie Harris. They began dating three years later and married in 2009.

“After we got married the next step was we got a dog and I’m sure down the line we’ll have children,” says Alan.

“I think having a dog, ­bizarrely enough, has prepared us for the ­responsibilities of children a bit.

"Lucy’s sister is having a baby and our parents have been ­asking when they’re going to be grandparents, so it’s on the cards at some point I would have thought.”

Alan grew up near ­Salford. His mum Michelle was a special needs teacher and his dad Dave a council ­highways inspector. He has an ­older brother Stephen, who is a planning officer.

He was 13 when he saw an advert on the school ­notice board for the ITV series Children’s Ward.

“The auditions were at school and a friend dared me to do it,” Alan recalls.

“By chance, they were looking for a cheeky chappie and I fitted the bill. When I got home, my mum was on the ­doorstep saying, ‘Why are ITV on the phone for you?’”

Lovable: With screen ex Maria (Samia Ghadie) (Photo: ITV)

Alan soon moved on to mainstream drama, appearing in shows Heartbeat, Queer as Folk, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates and The Cops.

After being ­spotted in an episode of Verdict, he was ­offered the part of Tyrone – a ­three-month contract – without even having to audition. He was 16 at the time… and the rest is history.

Thirteen years later and he has no ­desire to leave. “It’s a real privilege to be in ­Coronation Street,” says Alan.

“It’s the most watched show on TV and I’m really proud of that. Bill Tarmey, who played Jack Duckworth, always said he ­wanted to do 30 years in the show and he did.

"Bill’s always been an idol of mine and a part of me would like to ­emulate what he did.

“But there are two sides to it – my side and Coronation Street’s side – and it ­depends on how long they want me to stay.

“But if I could achieve half of what Bill achieved as Jack I’d pat myself on the back – he was an icon.”

Alan still remains close to both Bill and Liz Dawn, who played Vera. So much so that he still meets Bill every fortnight for a pint.

“We speak on the phone every week and I see him every other Thursday,” he says.

“Bill was like a father figure to me at work and that’s never gone. He misses Coronation Street so, so much.

"It was a huge part of his life and he dearly misses the people – he tells me all the time.

Friends: Alan on screen with co-star Bill Tarmey (Photo: ITV)

"His son owns a pub and we catch up on the football and he tells me how his family are doing.

"I could never have let that relationship go out of my life.

“I still speak to Liz, but she’s more difficult to get hold of as she’s generally on a cruise!”